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2023 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in the Far Western US Region

5 Ranked Colleges
97 Degrees Awarded
$27,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 994 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 448th most popular in the United States.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 97 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region applied physics students.

Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics in the Far Western US Region

1

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #1 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,240 for Far Western US Region Applied Physics students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Diego Engineering & Applied Physics Report

2
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region applied physics students list, PLNU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $34,575 for far western us region applied physics students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Point Loma Nazarene University

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for far western us region applied physics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UC Berkeley

4
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of the Pacific. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 3 ’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.

Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,380 for Far Western US Region Applied Physics students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Pacific Engineering & Applied Physics Report

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Clara University landed the #5 spot on the list. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s applied physics degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our far western us region applied physics students list, SCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $42,614 for far western us region applied physics students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Santa Clara University

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